ewrestlingfandomcom-20200213-history
Gaf
Daniel Lionheart ' (born 17 October 1977) better known by his ring name '''Gaf ' is an English professional wrestler, who is currently signed to New Edge Wrestling (NEW). He first gained notoriety performing for Xtreme Championship Wrestling. Early life Gaf, born in Skipton, his family would frequently move around northern England and he would spend the majority of his childhood living in Manchester. He was beyond his years at school and finished his degree in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield when he was just 18. Professional wrestling career From the age of eight, Gaf trained martial arts at Hardman’s Gym and became a black belt in Judo. A fan of wrestling from a young age, Gaf would switch his focus and trained to become a wrestler at the age of seventeen, whilst at university in Sheffield. Amateur Championship Wrestling In 2000, Gaf impressed in a tryout for Xtreme Championship Wrestling and was given an opportunity to wrestle for the federation’s farm league Amateur Championship Wrestling under the watchful eye of the federation’s President Ty Dhomie, which had just been reformed. Gaf went onto win his first ACW match against Woody Wilson but soon came unstuck the following week when he defeated by JTV in a fiercely fought contest. The two did not get along and it would mark the start of a bitter feud that lasted several years. Their feud quickly became personal when they both claimed to be fighting for their counties, subsequently originating an England vs. America rivalry which would run throughout ACW for several months. Weeks later Gaf was scheduled to team with James Thompson and face JTV once again in a tag match alongside current ACW World Champion Rocky Blonde. However a bizarre sequence of events triggered by Rocky Blonde’s disrespect to the federation would see the match changed to a Fatal Four Way for the ACW World Championship. Gaf pinned Rocky Blonde to become the world champion finding immediate success. Gaf would embrace his championship, calling himself as a fighting champion and successfully defending the title every fortnight for several months. After impressing XCW bosses, namely President Oklahoma, Gaf was given an XCW Dark match against his arch rival JTV along with Suicide and Demon. Gaf won after pinning JTV. All four competitors impressed and were immediately promoted to XCW. Gaf vowed to take the ACW World Championship with him but he was defeated the following week by Bobby Idol after his former mentor Ty Dhomie interrupted the match and betrayed him. World Revolutionary Wrestling Federation Gaf began plying his trade in the small time wrestling federation World Revolutionary Wrestling Federation for whom he would wrestle sporadically for. He formed a partnership with his close friend SATH (Sweet And Tender Hooligan) and the two would become tag team champions. Gaf would leave the federation and move to concentrate on his XCW career after falling out with the federation’s owner John Warren, Xtreme Championship Wrestling Early on in his XCW career, Gaf maintained his ACW momentum and successfully defeated Nighthawk in his first match. This would not last long, however, when he was teamed with his nemeses JTV for a tag team match. The two did not work well together and they were they both defeated by their former ACW counterparts Suicide & Demon. In his following singles match Joe Leonard quite easily brushed him aside, which caused Gaf to have a crisis of confidence and go on a losing steak. It took a while for Gaf to regain his confidence but he did so against JTV, gaining victory over his adversary JTV in a brutal barbed wire match, gaining revenge after being attacked backstage. Gaf’s newly regained momentum was prematurely halted when the federation closed. After XCW went out of business, Gaf vanished from the public eye and became a recluse. Gaf resorted to living on the street and was considered a down and out. In a bizarre twist of fate, XCW reopened and after reading an XCW advert in a newspaper he smuggled himself back into America to restart his career. In his first week back Gaf recorded a comprehensive victory over Xavier Anns. After impressing management with his ruthlessness, Gaf was given a shot at Shadow’s North-American Heavyweight Championship at Killing In The Name. Gaf took on Shadow in one of the most competitive matches of the night but would finally succumb after Shadow hit “The Gateway” on him. Later that night, Gaf would finish fourth in a fifteen man Xtremerumble match, which was won by The Boss but not before Gaf became the first person in history to kick out of Shadow’s Gateway, a move that had finished him off earlier in the night. The following week saw Gaf become the TV champion when he defeated Ty Dhomie and Blake Lane in a triple threat match. XCW failed to live up to expectations and the federation closed the day after. WRWF Return Gaf briefly returned to the WRWF, under the federation’s new owner, Kevin Rouser who employed him as an enforcer. Although he formed a friendship with Rouser, the two would bicker over the way the federation was run. The WRWF went out of business a year later. American Championship Wrestling Gaf went on to join American Championship Wrestling along with Kevin Rouser who began to manage him. Gaf quickly found success and defeated Chris Bestrom to become the Intercontinental champion. Gaf then made a sudden exit from ACW after being run over by a car. Shortly afterwards videos began circulating of a man resembling Gaf being held hostage by Shawn Murphy. It was later revealed to be an elaborate ploy and the hostage was indeed working in unison with Murphy, it was revealed the hostage was just a lookalike and not even Gaf himself. Gaf quit ACW due to "personal differences" with the federation's direction. His Intercontinental title was immediately vacated. Gaf was undefeated in ACW in single matches. Rumours of a Return Gaf would not wrestle again for over nine years but rumours of his return persisted. In 2003, it was speculated that Gaf was offered a contract New Era Wrestling ran by his old mentor Ty Dhomie but it is thought he declined the offer to concentrate on ventures outside of wrestling. In 2009 rumours circulated that he was planning to return alongside former XCW wrestler Robert Vallant as part of a tag team. It was hotly tipped that they were to join XPWA, indeed a promo package of Vallant even aired on Overload but the federation folded and the rumours never materialised. New Edge Wrestling On 17 July 2011, Kevin Rouser hosted a press conference outside Tiger Stadium in Louisiana before New Edge Wrestling's Annihilation PPV and announced Gaf would be signing for the federation. Gaf made his in ring debut at Ignite 36 in a triple match against Donnie Haywood and Jackson Stone and pinned Stone to claim victory. Gaf maintained his winning streak with a victory over Nathan Van Owen, with the help of Kevin Rouser. It was later revealed that Gaf's drink had been spiked prior to the match. Gaf became suspicious that the powers that be were out to get them. The following week, Gaf would lose his first match against former NEW World Champion Roger Wright. Despite having his drink spiked again, Gaf returned to winning ways after beating Cera in a Last Man Standing match. Bitter at being defeated by him, Cera attacked Gaf from behind and was granted a rematch the following week but Gaf was once again successful in a Last Man Standing after executing a standing sharpshooter on her. At ISunday, Reya Serra defeated Gaf in a buried alive match after she used a bulldozer to bury him; an action which Gaf later claimed was illegal. The two would engage in a bitter rivalry over religion, which would later see Gaf arrested after attacking a vicar. Gaf would inflict revenge on Serra when he defeated her in a casket match during NEW’s next PPV, Cold Front. After the match, Cera would attempt to attack Gaf with a baseball bat but he was saved by his friend Robert Vallant, who made his first NEW appearing after appearing from the crowd. A fortnight later, Vallant and Gaf would finally team together for the first time, defeating The Court’s Reya Serra and Frank Finelli. From the very beginning of his NEW career, Gaf would accuse NEW’s “powers that be” of corruption and manipulating results. Gaf accused the powers that be of drugging him, although he could never prove his allegations. He also accused Jesse Styles of being a “double agent” and being a member of the cRu. On October 10, 2011, Jesse Styles revealed himself to be a member of the cRu, proving Gaf’s statement to be correct. Likewise, Kevin Rouser began accusing the powers that be of limiting their TV time. Rouser would promot him to create his own TV show, titled, “Kevin Rouser’s Shock Factor”. The show’s first episode was surrounded by controversy after Rouser accused Jesse Styles and his family of incest, along with family members Ryan Pugh, Ace Styles and Johnny Stylez, highlighting their complicated family tree as evidence in the form of an Addams Family spoof, titled “The Styles Family”. The following Monday saw Gaf enter NEW’s 23 man rumble as competitor number 2. Despite being one of the first competitors he managed to reach the final five but was eliminated when Styles came down the ring and distracted him by attacking Rouser at ringside. It is heavily rumoured that Gaf will face Styles at NEW’s November PPV, Kamikaze. In mid-2012, Gaf and Kevin Rouser made their returns to NEW attacking Kronin on Ignite. Gaf lost his return match against Kaya Blaine and soon found himself on a losing return. In October after some advice from his old mentor Ty Dhomie, Gaf turned the corner and won his first match against Johnny Stylez. On the last episode of Ignite before NEW's winter break, Gaf defeated Tek in 11 seconds. NEW returned from hiatus but Gaf found himself off the shows and went in exile. Several vignettes would frequently broadcast on Ignite under the slogan of Meow!. Eventually Gaf would match his in ring return as a last minute replacement to face Tek at Kamikaze of whom Gaf once again disposed in a timely manner. Gaf was drawn as the first participant in the 23 man royal rumble, where he it to the last few remaining competitors before being eliminated by his arch nemesis Reya Serra. Gaf easily dispatched of Tommy Kain before once again turn his attentions to Reya Serra. Dubbed the feuds to end all feuds, Reya Serra and Kevin Rouser would clash in the following weeks before Gaf eventually agreed to the match. At Justice 5, Gaf defeated Reya Serra but left the arena worse for wear. Moves Previous Trademark Moves *'''Bitter Sweet Harmony ''(2002 - 2004) ''-20 second Torture Rack hold released into a Samoan Drop *'The Tonic ''(2004) '''-Gaf dazes his opponent with a strong European Uppercut and then twists rounds so his back-to-back with his opponent and then hooks each of his arms with his opponents and then kneels down lifting his opponent off the ground and forcing his shoulders to the mat for a pin. Current Trademark Moves *'Leeds Lariat ''(2002 - 2003. 2012 onwards) '''- A strong lariat. *'The Lecture ''(2002 onwards) '''- A standing sharpshooter. *'Momentum Swinger ''(2004 onwards)' - Spinning DDT *'Sweet And Sour Sideslam (2001- 2003) '''-Sidewalk Slam *'Shooting Star Press ''(2011 onwards)' Previous Finisher Moves *'Fatal Floor Slam (up until 2003 - 2004) '- Gaf picks up his opponent and locks them into a double hand choke hold. Gaf then lifts his opponent up by his neck and forces them into a choke lift. Gaf then grabs his opponent’s legs and dives down into a sit-down powerbomb. Current Finisher Moves *'Supernova (2011 onwards)' - Strong European Uppercut to Inverted DDT. *'Gravitational Collapse (2011 onwards)'''- Belly to Back Inverted Slam Links Archive of Gaf Roleplays Fedwars Roleplay Archive Category:Wrestlers Category:British characters Category:1977 births Category:XCW Wrestlers Category:New Edge Wrestling Wrestlers Category:WRWF Wrestlers Category:ACW Wrestlers